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In some places, putting speed limits at 55, in real life would result in persistent traffic lockups (variance in speed would be even higher as fewer would obey and this causes perturbations and accidents), and cause lots of additional fuel use and frustration.
Cars (but not really trucks) are more aerodynamic than in 1975, and have more gears in transmissions. Efficiency gains might not be as big today.
It would be much better of course to reduce the silly high-frontal-area trucks used for commuting.
By the way, the auto makers and even car magazines rarely tell the whole story about "Cd" the coefficient of drag.
Of course, lower is better, but total drag equals Cd TIMES the frontal area. So even if a big Lexus can have an impressive Cd, it still means more drag than a Mini with a higher Cd number. I'd prefer a standardized drag number relative to a standard size frontal area.
When you think of it this way the Hummer is even worse.
Another proposal, and this would be easy. Have the 'trip computers' now nearly ubiquitous have an input for fuel costs. Then you could display, like a taxi-meter, running fuel cost for each tank. I think people would respond to real-life $ better for changing their driving habits.
So, mbkennel, your solution is no solution? The two ideas you presented are hi-tech nonsense, and wouldn't have an impact anyway.
The first step is lowering speed limits to forty and using draconian enforcement - 10 over = 1 month in a Mexican-style jail [provide your own bed and food]. The problem is very serious and pussy-footing won't solve it!
Solutions must also be politically and economically possible. If your solution were politically possible, demand would drop and gas would get cheap, then someone would use it. In the long run there is only one answer, energy must be more expensive. This will almost certainly happen.
I think that 55MPH is too slow. As stated above, today's cars are probably most efficient at higher speeds. My Prius has a sweet spot around 62MPH.
Rather than lower the speed limit we could simply enforce existing speed limits. Where the speed limit is usually 65MPH you mostly see people traveling well over 70MPH.
I also agree that simply adding a dash indicator showing current mileage would be a big help. I recently drove a loaner Lexus from the dealer that had this. I was stunned to see it drop to under 3MPG as I drove up hill on the freeway.
Almost everyone who drives a Prius or Insight knows the fun of trying to maximize one's mileage.
The "double nickel" holds such a stigma that even people that weren't around in the 70's have an instantaneous negative emotional response to it. If you want to go with a standardized slower speed it should be 60mph. No stigma, and barely any difference from the 5mph increase. One of the keys, as you note, is merely enforcing the current speed limits since many people drive well beyond even what's posted.
Putting a prominent fuel mileage indicator in the dash I think is a good attempt at a technofix since it is targeted at social engineering.
As many have pointed out here, and I basically believe as well, there is no technofix to this situation. There are techofixes that could allow us to build a comfortable and high quality of life without having to revert back to the 1800's, but they all hinge on people's acceptance of a new way of life. One of the most ingrained is out current transportation system. I don't believe you'll ever get people to give up personal transportation. People across the world want cars, crave them, and even dogs love cars - the experience spans species. But no one needs a 350 horsepower race car to commute in bumper to bumper traffic on speed limited streets to their desk job 20 miles away. No one needs a 3 ton, 7 passenger aerodynamic brick to carry one person. No one needs a gigantic, poorly insulated house that's kept at 78 degrees in the winter and 68 degrees in the summer and built with no passive or active solar features. No one needs a poorly insulated refrigerator, poorly insulated water heater. Yes...these would all be technofixes I've listed here, and they would go a long way to solving energy problems - but they can't work - not without people wanting them to work. That's why no technofix can work. People want to commute to work with race cars and tanks - they want to commute "period." They don't want to live where they work. They want the bigger house and not the more efficient one, the bigger fridge not the smaller and more expensive fridge, the cheapest water heater. They want to have 5 kids and a million grand kids. Every technofix will either be rendered useless, or even worse, facilitate more problems if the social aspects are not addressed.
If you want to make an impact on vehicle choice without hiking CAFE standards or fuel taxes, a 55 MPH speed limit for all uneconomical vehicles (designated by special plates) and perhaps restriction to the right lane on 4-lane freeways would do it. People could drive what they wanted, but the conspicuous consumers would also be official pariahs.
If a relatively innocuous suggestion like the one I made generates this much resistance on TOD, what chance do we really have for more drastic, but necessary changes? Thanks, you guys, (excluding the author of the post) you have helped clarify my thinking...
That's why I'm a doomer. You will never get enough people to cooperate towards the end goal when it involves their vehicles and lifestyles -- that is until it is too late.
I was thinking of that as well, but didn't mention it. Sort of a societal shaming of a sort. Such a thing would be extremely effective in the goal of retiring low fuel economy vehicles. An example (without the stigma) of how something like this can work can be found in California's allowing hybrid vehicles to use the HOV lanes with a single person. Many people there are buying Priuses not because they're environmentally conscious, but because they get to zip by everyone else stuck in the non-HOV lanes.